Domestic refrigerating mechanism



Jan. 19, 1932. w. w. WILLIAMS DOMESTIC REFRIGERATING' MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 17, 1950 V INVENTOR h/AL 75/? W. W/LL/fi/VS 771 ATTORNEY Jan. 19, 1932. I w wlLLlAMS 1,842,357

DOMESTIC REFRIGERATING MECHANISM Filed'Nov. 17, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WHL TEA. M W/LL/fl/VS (W M I ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 19, 1932 2 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER WILLIAMS, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAMS OIL-O- MATIG HEATING CORPORATION, OF BLOQMINGTON, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF rumors DOMESTIC REFRIGERATING MECHANISM Application filed November 17, 1930. Serial No. 496,217;

This invention relates to-improvementsin domestic refrigerating mechanism and more particularly to an electrically operated compression type of refrigerating mechanism.

In the compression type of electrically operated refrigerating mechanism, it is customary to provide a bath of lubricant in the crank case of the compressor and in that type of mechanism in which the gaseous refrigerant is returned from the evaporator to the crank case and passes through a valve in the piston head before compressing, a considerable amount of the lubricant is carried over with the refrigerant. It is an object of this invention to provide a means for separating the lubricant from the refrigerant after compression and before the refrigerant is delivered to the evaporator. If the lubricant is carried over with the refrigerant to the evaporator, it will separate out in the evaporator and accumulate therein until the efficiency of the refrigerating machine is greatly impaired. With this and other -objects in view, references made to the accompanying sheets of drawings as illustrating a preferred form of this invention with the understanding that minor detail changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof.

In the drawings;

I Figure 1 is aview in rear elevation of a compression type of electrically operated domestic refrigerating machine, with parts broken away, omitting the evaporator which is customarily contained withinthe cold compartment of the refrigerant or cabinet.

Figure2 is a view partly in vertical central section taken through the compressor and crank case and parts connected thereto, and partly inside elevation.

The embodiment of this invention as illustrated upon Figure 1 of the drawings includes a base 1 mounted upon suitable legs 2, including an electric motor supported within the casing 3 provided with suitable connections 4 to the domestic lighting system, the said base also supports the crank case 5 upon which is mounted the compression cylinders 6. The driving shaft of the electric motor is connected by a power belt 7 to a driving wheel passes through for operating the crank shaft 9 which through eccentrics 10 and connecting rods 11 operate the pistons 12 within the compression cylinders 6 of the compressor.

The refrigerant in gaseous form is returned or drawn from the evaporator through the pipe 13 and enters the interior of the crank case through port 14. The head of the reciprocating piston 12 is provided with a valve 15, operating so that as the piston descends, the gaseous refrigerant enters through said valve and upon the up stroke is compressed within the cylinder 6 of the compressor and passes through the valve 16 inthe top of the compressor into a.

small chamber 17 provided within the compressor head. The compressed refrigerant is conveyed from the chamber 17 through pipe 18 to the interior of the casing 19 carried on side of the crank case 5 and from thence, it .pipe 20 to the upper coil of the condenser 21. The condenser is arranged in front of an electric fan 22 mounted on the driving shaft of an electric motor, preferably in the form shown in Figure 1. The lower end of the condenser discharges through the opening 23 in the side of a liquid container 24 supported upon the under side of the base 1. The liquid is delivered through pipe 25 from the bottom of the container 24 to the connection 26 upon the base 1 and thence by the way of pipe 27 to the v evaporator.

The crank case is hermetically sealed to the compressor, the compression chambers of which open directly into the crank case, as shown in Figure 2, and as is customary in such devices the crank shaft 9 and eccentrics 10 operate in a bath of lubricant or oil, the normal level of which is indicated by the dotted line in Figure 2.

The above is a description of the ordinary cycle while the motor is operating. The operating of the crank shaft and attached parts splashes suificient oil to lubricate the piston during its reciprocation and a certain amount of the lubricant will be carried over with the gaseous refrigerant at each operation of the crank-case, the casing 19 is provided. This casing is provided with a port 28 leading into the interior of the crank case 5 above the normal level of the lubricant which port is normally closed by a valve 29 operated by a float 30 pivotally mounted within the casing 19. The casing 19, as shown in Figure 1, is preferably cylindrical and' is preferably provided upon the interior thereof with an arcuate baffle 31 extending from the end of the casing furthest from the crank case 5 and spaced apart from the upper wall of the casing, as shown in Figure 2. The pipe 18, leading from the compressor, opens into a passage 32 in the end of the casing 19 supporting the baflle 31, which passage opens into the bottom of the interior of the casing 19.

Upon initial operation, the gaseous refrigerant containing the lubricant discharged under pressure from the compressor enters the chamber formed by the interior of the casing 19 through the passage-Way 32 and due to the lower temperature of the casing 19 and the effect of being discharged against the baffle 31, the lubricant separates from the refrigerant and collects at the bottom of the casing, while the refrigerant in gaseous form passes about the baffle and through the port 34 thereabove, and is conveyed therefrom by the pipe 20. to the condenser, as heretofore described. If desired, a pressure gauge 35 may be installed to communicate with the port 34 to indicate the pressure of the gase ous refrigerant. After the mechanism has operated long enough to initially separate out suflicient lubricant to cover the opening of passage 32, the refrigerant and lubricant under compression are forced through the collected lubricant so that such particles of lubricant as are carried over with this compressed refrigerant join the body of lubricant in the bottom of the casing as the refrigerant bubbles therethrough. The normal level of the lubricant in casing 19 is indicated by the line 33. Furthermore, such lubricant as may be carried over in suspension and in solution with the compressed refrigerant through pipe 18 is removed as the compressed refrigerant passes through the lubricant in the bottom of the casing 19. p

' As heretofore said, the float operated valve within the casing 19 normally closes the port 28 opening into the interior ofthe crank case 5. When a pre-determined amount of lubricant is separated out in the casing 19, the float will open the valve and allow the lubricant to return to the interior of the crank case 5 through the differential of pressure within the respective parts. This operation of the float operated valve is intermittent and its rate of operation depends upon the rate at which the lubricant is separated from the gaseous refrigerant. Y It has been found that when methyl chloride is employed as the refrigerant in this type of refrigerating mechanism, a greater percentage of lubricant is carried over with the compressed refrigerant than in the case of other gaseous refrigerants and also that it is more diflicult to separate the lubricant from the compressed methyl chloride, before it is delivered to the evaporator, than in other gases. It has been demonstrated successfully that by providing the separating chamber, constructed in accordance with this invention, substantially all of the lubricant carried over with the compressed methyl chloride, either in suspension orsolution, is removed from .the refrigerant in passing through the separating chamber. The separating chamber is at a distance from the compressor and is not directly subjected to the heat of mechanical movement or that caused by the operation of the compressor and the temperature of the lubricant collected in the chamber is less than that of the compressed refrigerant as it leaves the compressor head, therefore as the compressed gaseous refrigerant is forced through the chamber, such lubricant as is solution is condensed in the chamber and such lubricant as is carried in suspension is separated out as the gaseous refrigerant passes through the bath or collected lubricant within the separating chamber, so that the compressed gaseous refrigerant passing from the chamber to the condenser is substantially free of lubricant.

What I claim is:

1. A compression type of refrigerating mechanism including a crank case, compression cylinders opening thereinto, said crank case containing a bath of lubricant for lubricating the moving parts of the compressor, means for admitting a gaseous refrigerant to be compressed into the crank case, means for separating such lubricant as is carried by the refrigerant from the compressor including a separating chamber adapted to contain a pre-determined amount of lubricant and automatically returning the lubricant collecting in said chamber above the pre-determined amount to the crank case, and means conducting the compressed refrigerant from the compressor to the separating chamber and discharging it below the lubricant contained therein.

2. A compression type of refrigerating mechanism including a crank case, compression cylinders opening thereinto, said crank case containing a bath of lubricant for lubriing chamber, means conducting the refrigerant from above the lubricant to the evaporator, and automatic means returning to the crank case lubricant collecting in excess of the pre-determined amount in the separating chamber.

8. A compression type of refrigerating mechanism including a crank case, compresand having a normally closed port opening into the crank case,'means discharging the compressed refrigerant below the lubricant in the separating chamber, means conducting the refrigerant from above the lubricant to the evaporator, and automatic means returning to the crank case lubricant collecting in excess of the predetermined amount in the separating chamber, including a float operated valve mounted in the separating chamber. V

4. A compression type of refrigerating mechanism including a crank case, compression cylinders opening thereinto, said crank case containing a bath of lubricant for lubricating the moving parts of the compressor, means for admitting a gaseous refrigerant to be compressed into the crank case, means for separating such lubricant as is carried by the refrigerant from the compressor including a separating chamber adapted to contain a pre-determined amount of lubricant and having a normally closed port opening into the crank case, means discharging the compressed refrigerant below the lubricant in the separating chamber, means conducting the refrigerant from above the lubricant to the evaporator, and automatic means returning to the; crank case lubricant collecting in excess of the predetermined amount in the separating chamber, including a float operated valve mounted in the sep'a-' rating chamber, adapted to normally close the port leading into the crank case and open said port when the separated lubricant collects in excess of the pre-determined amount Within the separating chamber.

5. In a compression type of refrigerating mechanism, a crank case opening into the compression cylinders and containing a bath of lubricant in which the operating parts reciprocate, means for delivering gaseous re-- frigerant into the interior of thecrank case, a separating chamber adapted to contain lubrlcant, means for delivering the comfrom the interior of the separating chamber to the interior of the crank case, a float operated valve Within the separating chamber adapted to normally close said port, the passage of the compressed refrigerant through the lubricant in the separating chamber separates such lubricant as may be carried over by the compressed refrigerant causing the level of the lubricant to operate the valve to return the separated lubricant to the crank case. r

6. In a compression type of refrigerating mechanism, a crank case opening into the compression cylinders and containing a bath of lubricant in which the operating parts reciprocate, the method of separating lubricant carried over with the compressed refrigerant consisting in passing the compressed refrigerant through a bath of lubricant and returning the separated lubricant to the crank case;

7 In a compression type of refrigerating mechanism, a crank case opening into the compression cylinders and containing a bath of lubricant in which the operating parts reciprocate, the method of separating lubricant carried over with the compressed refrigerant consisting in passing the compressed refrigerant through a bath of lubricant at a lower temperature than the compressed refrigerant and returning the separated lubricant to the WALTER W. WILLIAMS.

crank case.

pressed refrigerant and lubricant carried thereby from the compressor to the bottom of the separatmg chamber, a port leading 

